Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has alleged that politics has been used to deny the state
access to agricultural loans offered by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Governor Wike made the accusation when he hosted the Minister of State for Agriculture, and Rural
Development, Mustapha Baba Shehuri at the Government House, Port Harcourt, on Monday.
The governor decried the situation where every issue in the country including agriculture has been
politicised instead of implementing such policy dispassionately to achieve the intended food security
and jobs for the youths.
“I think, I am one of those States that nobody gives loans for agriculture. I don’t know what hatred the
Central Bank Governor has for us? We do not know.
“We have been hearing of ANCHOR borrower this and ANCHOR that. But when it concerns Rivers
State, you will hear a lot of things.”
Governor Wike explained that in an idle situation devoid of politics, the Central Bank of Nigeria will
partner with the Rivers State government to achieve the objectives of setting up the state-owned
cassava processing plant.
“Please tell the Governor of Central Bank to remember us too, that we are part of Nigeria. When we
applied, they said this loan was N5 billion. We have applied for more than one year now. They said we
should bring this and bring that.
“They said we should bring the co-corporative societies and I say this where the politics come from. If I
want to eat government money, I can sit here and write cooperative societies. The previous
administration took loans and said they gave them to cooperative societies of over N3 billion. Who
are these corporative societies? And the money went off like that.
Governor Wike said even without the loans from the Central Bank of Nigeria, his administration is
achieving a revolution in cassava processing that will create jobs for youths and enduring patronage
for farmer folks.
He said the State government will invite the Minister of Agriculture to commission the cassava
processing plant. According to him, many companies have keyed in already to buy off what will be
processed.
“We have over 3000 farmers who have registered. From them, the company will buy off all their
produce. We are happy with this feat.”